As workers fall ill, grocery chain executives join front lines in COVID-19 pandemic
We often use the term front line workers to refer to the healthcare professionals working hard to help coronavirus patients everyday.
Their work is absolutely essential, and many states have declared grocery store workers as essential employees as well. Store clerks are also on the front lines, working to make sure people have everything they need during the pandemic.
For that reason, many workers have fallen ill and even died from COVID-19, according to The Washington Post. Grocery workers in New York, Maryland and Illinois are among those who have died from the virus, The Post reported.
Loblaw Companies Limited, the largest food retailer in Canada, asked its head staff to volunteer on the ground in stores in early March, according to the Financial Post.
A senior director of finance at Loblaw, who formerly worked as a store manager, volunteered to work 12-hour days at Toronto-area stores, the Financial Post reported.
“I do struggle every day when I wake up, like, ‘Can I do it again,’ ” Angie Kim told the Financial Post. “Because I’m scared. Right? The pandemic is real. I see hundreds of customers every day. I get selfish sometimes thinking, ‘I don’t have to do it. I volunteered. No one’s expecting me to show up. Can I do it again?’ ”
Kim is now faced with the difficulties that so many American workers deal with in their jobs daily. A grocer in Manhattan pointed out that she and her coworkers are “working 30 to 40 hours in the exact place you’re being told to avoid,” Business Insider reported.
“There’s a certain amount of pride that comes with the job but definitely anxiety would be the overwhelming feeling for me right now,” Rebecca, who asked for her last name not to be used, told Business Insider.
Store policies around the country have changed to protect shoppers and workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Rebecca’s employer now allows workers to wear masks, although they are not provided by the company, according to Business Insider.
Grocery workers across the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, The Washington Post reported.
Longo’s, an Ontario chain of supermarkets, has also called on company executives to join the ranks of front-line workers to help calm the nerves of its labor force, the Financial Post reported.
“We do have quite a number of people who don’t feel safe, and that’s an issue in the industry,” Anthony Longo, the company’s chief executive, told the Financial Post. “We want people to know it is safe. I’m out there.”
American grocers are feeling trapped in a situation where they’re putting their lives at risk while working. Even if they feel sick, they still need to show up to earn the wages they need to live, Business Insider reported.
“I’m scared to go to work and worried about getting sick over a job that pays less than $12 per hour,” a 45-year-old grocery worker in South Carolina, who asked to remain anonymous, told Business Insider. “But I also feel like I can’t just stay home because the elderly need supplies and a kind word. It’s a really hard decision.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 3:46 PM with the headline "As workers fall ill, grocery chain executives join front lines in COVID-19 pandemic."